Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Saquon Barkley and the one that got away

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There was a play at minicamp practice on Wednesday during which New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley darted out of the backfield to his left and headed upfield. He was matched against outside linebacker Olivier Vernon, better known for his pass rush than pass coverage.

It wasn’t even fair. A wide receiver in a running back's body vs. an outside linebacker in a defensive end’s body. That's a mismatch in any pass-catching setting.

Barkley created immediate separation and was several yards beyond Vernon’s reach when he caught a quick pass from quarterback Eli Manning. It would have gone for a big gain or long touchdown if it were in a game situation, and it's starting to become a daily occurrence.

Every day at Giants practice, this seems to be happening. Barkley gets matched against a linebacker or safety and the defender has no chance. He blazed a good five yards clear of linebacker B.J. Goodson the previous day for a long gain that might’ve gone for a touchdown. It made for an easy catch and throw.

Barkley’s pass catching ability out of the backfield makes this all possible. It’s part of why he was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft in the first place. He caught the ball well at Penn State and it has carried over to the early part of his Giants career. He's caught just about everything thrown his direction at practice this spring, except this one pass during OTAs.

“Uh, yes, I did,” Barkley said after thinking for a few second about whether he allowed any pass in his direction to hit the ground during a practice. “I dropped one.  Yeah, I dropped one.”

Just one. And despite it being his only drop amid all those catches throughout OTAs and minicamp, it's a play that sits uncomfortably in his memory bank. He remembers it more clearly than most of the catches.

“It was an angle route, threw it back, caught it right here. [Puts arms near right hips]. I went like this. [Moves his hands toward his body]. I looked up before I tried to catch it, secure the catch,” Barkley said. “Tried to go and score. Gotta lock it in, and move on to the next play.”

There have been hundreds of similar plays throughout OTA and minicamp. One drop is pretty good considering the workload that Barkley’s handling.

The rookie has been running with the first-team offense and been employed in a variety of different ways. He’s been in the backfield, in motion and split out as a wide receiver significantly more than you generally see from most running backs.

Barkley is catching several passes a day during live periods and many more during individual drills. Those hands of his must also have been touched by the hands of God as general manager Dave Gettleman said of Barkley after he was drafted.

“Yeah, that's something that I pride myself on,” Barkley said of not dropping passes. “You come out every single day and you want to be perfect.  When I mean 'perfect,' not mean a ‘perfect player,’ but you want to try to go through practice without drops. But sometimes it reassures you that you gotta get back to get on the JUGS [machine] and catching after practice.”

All because of that one drop. The miscue only serves as fuel to improve.

“It was a ball that I caught hundreds of times, and I dropped it,” Barkley said. “Trying to run upfield too quick instead of securing the catch. I kinda worked on that after, and it hasn't happened since. But that's just like a part of the game. I hate making mistakes, but I love making mistakes. I love having [missed assignments] and drops, because it just reassures you, it makes you get back on the grind, it makes you lock in and focus a little more.

“And better to happen now in practice than happen in Week 1 against Jacksonville or Week 1 preseason against the Browns.”

The Giants understand there is a rookie learning curve. But they’ve been thoroughly impressed how quickly Barkley has been able to pick up everything and excel on the field. He’s been everything they expected when they made him the highest running back selected since 2006.

It didn’t take long for Shurmur to receive reassurance that Barkley would be a weapon in the passing game.

“The first thing you see is he can catch the ball, certainly,” Shurmur said after one day of rookie minicamp earlier this spring.

Except for that one this spring that was thrown at his right hip and he let slip away. Nobody else may remember that specific play or drop, but Barkley does.

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